Kay Mellor
As the creator of hit TV shows such as Band of Gold and Fat Friends, Kay is clearly passionate about social issues. And she's just as passionate about Home-Start.
"I support Home-Start because it's a fantastic charity - there is no better. You can try and help people in lots of ways - by giving them money or a pram or something physical, but what people really need is other people.
"Home-Start does this in a natural and real way - not under the banner of 'counselling'. That's what is great about it. The fact that it is parents helping other parents is so important, that sharing of experience. If you have problems, you can talk to someone else who has been through it and you don't feel such a freak."
Kay is Patron oF Home-Start in Leeds and was our 'voice' in a national Radio 4 charity appeal. But why does she feel such a connection with us? Her own teenage experiences hold the key.
"I was very fortunate really because when I became pregnant at 16 I had a close family around me. I loved my boyfriend and he loved me and we got married. But it could have been very different. I could have been isolated and frightened and I could have needed the help of a charity like Home-Start.
"After I had my daughter, Yvonne, I also suffered from post-natal depression, although I don't think that phrase was even coined in those days. Nobody talked about it and it would have been wonderful to have had someone who had been through it to talk to."
